Lenovo takes on LeEco Le Max 2 with P2

Lenovo has released a new phone in India under the P series. Dubbed as P2 the new phone will be available exclusively on Flipkart.com at Rs16,999 for the 3GB RAM+32GB variant and Rs17,999 for the 4GB RAM+32GB model. At its current price it is likely to be compared with LeEco Le Max 2 which is selling at Rs17,999 on LeMall and Amazon.in.

The P2 uses the traditional micro USB standard and 3.5mm audio jack.

Metal body with slight differences

The metal clad P2 comes in gold and grey colour options. The finger print sensor is integrated with the home button on front panel. The Le Max 2 also has a full metal exterior too but comes in a silver colour only. Its finger print sensor is placed on the back right under the camera.

The P2 tips the scales at just 177g, which is commonplace for a big screen phone, but for a phone that offers a 5.5-inch display and a 5,000mAh battery, it’s quite an accomplishment. The Le Max 2 has a slightly bigger screen but packs a much smaller 3,100mAh battery yet weighs 185g. However, at 8mm it looks thinner than the Lenovo smartphone’s 8.3mm profile.

What tips the balance a little in the favour of Le Max 2 is the fact that it uses a USB Type-C standard for data transfer, charging and audio output in headphones, while the P2 uses the traditional micro USB standard and 3.5mm audio jack. USB Type-C standard is more convenient to use and allows quicker file transfer.

Resolution matters

When it comes to display, the P2 looks like just another big screen sub Rs20,000 smartphone. It offers a resolution if 1,920x1080p and pixel density of 401ppi on a 5.5-inch display. On the other hand, LeEco offers a bigger 5.7-inch display with a resolution of 2,560×1,440p and pixel density of 515ppi over it, making it the only smartphone offering such high configuration display at less than Rs20,000.

This doesn’t mean the P2 has a poor display, but due to higher resolution, text, visuals and games on Le Max 2 are more likely to appear sharper.

The P2 runs their proprietary Vibe UI custom interface on top of Android 6.0 (Marshmallow).

Playing with the software

Like most Lenovo smartphones, the P2 runs their proprietary Vibe UI custom interface on top of Android 6.0 (Marshmallow).

The Vibe UI key highlight is the dual launcher option which allows user to choose between the colourful Vibe UI and near plain version of Android. The second one looks more familiar and includes an app drawer.

LeEco runs its proprietary interface and which look neat and light compared to the Vibe UI. It also offers free video content worth up to Rs5,000 from Yupp TV and Eros Now for one year.

More muscle power

Lenovo has used Qualcomm’s new Snapdragon 625 octa-core processor with 4GB RAM. This is the first Qualcomm processor based on 14nm architecture outside of the 800 series processor. It has also been used in the Moto Z Play (Rs 24,999).

The Le Max 2 is driven by a more powerful 14nm based Snapdragon 820 quad-core processor with 4GB RAM, making it one of the most powerful sub Rs 20,000 smartphone in the market.

What gives the Lenovo device a clear edge over it is its 5,100mAh battery which even with an interface like that is likely to last over two days easily. The Le Max 2’s 3,100mAh battery has to put up with the custom UI as well as the quad HD resolution display.